Machine for wrapping caramels and like articles



Dec. 3, 1929.

A. G. ROSE MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CARAMELS AND LIKE ARTICLES Filed March 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 3, 1929. os 1,738,079

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CARAMELS AND LIKE ARTICLES Filed March 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ing device (e.

ll atented 3, l fi UEED STAT ALFRED GERMAN ROSE, OF GAINEJ'BGHOUGH, ENGLAND, AfdiilltGNOR OF ONE'HALF TO ROSE BROTHERS (GAINBBORO'UGH) LIMITlilD, 013

BRITISH COMPANY GAINEBUROTTGH,

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING SARAH/H3115? AND LIKE ARTICLES Application filed March 8, 19-29, Serial No. $15,537, and in Great Britain March 22, 1928.

This invention is concerned with wrapping machines of the type designed to operate on a continuous bar of confectionery stool; and provided with means for severing successive portions in the length of the bar to form individual caramcls, andwith means for feeding said caramels to a rotatable mould-wheel or equivalent intermittentlyoperable wrapping mechanism. In a machine of this type, there is also a stoclr-fee la series or rollers) which operates intermittently to feed the leading end of the bar of stock to a cutting station where the cutting of separate caramels from the bar is effected.

Hitherto, in machines of the above type, the stock-feeding device and the mouldwheel have been arranged to make their intermittent movements simultaneously, and the intermediate operations of cutting the bar and feeding the caramel into the mouldwheel have been performed during the idle intervals between the intermittent movements aforesaid, that is to say, while both the stock-feeding device and the mould-wheel are at rest. On account of the time intervals necessary for the effective performance of the intermediate operations time which is lost so far as the output of the machine is concerned it has been impossible efficiently to run a machine, operating in the above manner, at other than comparatively slow speeds.

According to the present invention, a wrapping machine of the type referred to is arranged to operate in such manner that the intermittent movements of the stocl -feecling device are out of phase with the c0- related intermittent movements of the mouldwheel or equivalent wrapping mechanism.

With a machine operating according to the invention, the mould-wheel can be arranged to make its intermittent movements during the first stage at which the intermediate operations are in progress so that the intervals required for the performance of said operations do not, to the same eX- tent as before, represent lost time. The advantage of the invention can be considered from another angle. The intermediate operations have to be performed in the intervals between the cessation of movement of the stock-feeding device and the commencement of movement away from the charging station of the pocket which is to receive the caramel. By throwing the stock-feeding device out of phase with the mould wheel, the intervals aforesaid may be increased for the same speed of the machine, and, conversely, the machine may be run at a higher speed and give the same intervals for the intermediate operations as obtain in a" slowerspced machine with the mould-wheel and stock-feeder operating simultaneously.

The mould-wheel has to remain at rest for a definite period while the caramel is actually being forced, with itswrapper, into the wheel pocket. This and other considerations limit the extent to which the operations of the mouldwheel can be displaced in relation to those of the stock-feeder. In practice, it is found convenient to have the mould-wheel make its intermittent movements at times midway or thereabouts between consecutive movements of the stockfeeding device.

According to a feature of the invention, the mould-wheel, and the stock-feeding device are actuated from one and the same driving-shatt by operating elements between which there is a phase displacement in the region of 200. The mould-wheel and the stock-feeder may be operated respectively by two Geneva stop mechanisms whereof the star-wheels are arranged for rotation independently of each other about the same axis under the influence of driving-pins or the like carried by arms radiating from the same driving-shaft.

A caramelwrapping machine embodying the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompany ing drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan view showing those parts of the machine with which the invention is concerned;

Figure 2 is an elevation corresponding to Figure 1 and Figure 3 is an end view showing the phase displaceuiient between the dri:ving-membere ENGLAND, A

-nel-s'haped holders 18 formed in a the position for the stock-feeding rollers and the mould wheel.

. Like reference numerals in the three figures.

The machine is of the kind in which the cutting of separate caramels from the bar of stock is effected at a point spaced away from the path of the pusher which operates in conjunction with the mould-wheel, and transfermechanism is provided to convey the caramels one at a time from the cutting station into the path of the pusher.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the mouldwheel of usual type is mounted for intermittent rotational movement about a horizontal axis, and is provided with six caramelreceiving pockets or mould-boxes (not shown) arranged around the periphery of the wheel at equally spaced intervals. The bar of stock 11 is fed along a horizontal guide-way 12 by means of feed-rollers 13, 14:, located one above the other, and thence over a bridge-piece 15 and between rollers 16, 17, which are arranged, side by side, to feed the forward end of the bar downwardly. The end of the 'bar isreceived in one of four chanring-member 19. It willbe seen from Figure 1 that to which the leading end of the the rollers 16, 17, is offset laterplane of rotation of the mouldindicate like parts bar is fed by ally from the wheel 10. This position constitutes the cutting station at which a knife 20, operating in a horizontal plane, severs separate caramels from the bar.

The ring 19 has imparted to it v(e. g. by a eneva stop mechanism, the star-wheel of f which isindicated at 21 a step-by-step rotational movement such that at each step,'the ring is rotated through a quarter of a revolution. The ring 19 is so positioned that during each of the intervals at which it is at rest, one of the channel-holders 18 will be located at the cutting station aforesaid, e. ready to receive the leading end of the bar from the feed rollers '16, 17') while an adjacent channel will be in a position (hereinafter referred to as the wheel-charging station) opposite to the mould-wheel 10. At each movement of partial rotation of the ring 19, a caramelis moved through a quadrant path from the cutting station to the wheelcharging station, at which a reciprocating pusher 22 operates to force the caramel from i the ring channel 18 through a guide 23 and 1nto a receiving pocket of the mould-wheel. Prior to each forward stroke of the pusher, a wrapper 24, cut from a continuous web, is located between the mouth of the guide 23 and the periphery of the mould-wheel, so that as the caramel is pushed into the wheel, a wrapper-sheet is carried with it and partially folded about it. The folding operations are completed in known manner during the contwo sets of bevel-wheels 31, 35, the sleeve tinued step-by-step advance of the mouldwheel.

The operating mechanism for the mouldwheel and the stock-feeding rollers will now be described. The mould-wheel is 'arried on a spindle 25 which is rotatable in suitable bearings, and at one end has secured to it the star-wheel 26 of a Geneva stop mechanism whereof the driving-men]bcr, constituted by a roller 27, is carried on an arm 28 secured to the end of a continuously-running driving-shaft 29. As shown in Figure 2-3, the starwheel 26 has six radial. slots (i. 0. corresponding in number to the pockets of the mouldwheel 10) so that each time the star-wheel is operated, the mould-wheel is carri ed through one-sixth of a revolution and a fresh pocket is brought up to the wheel-charging station. The stock-feeding rollers are driven from the same main shaft 29 by means of a second Geneva stop mechanism comprising a starwheel 30 which is arranged face-io-face with the wheel 26 and rotatable about the same axis the latter, and is operated by a roller 31 mounted on an arm 32 carried by the shaft 29. The star-wheel 30 is secured to a sleeve 33 which surrounds the spindle and is rotatable independently thereof. By means of no U is arranged to transmit rotational movement to the feed-roller 13 which in turn rotates the other rollers 14, 1G and 17 through a train of intermeshing gears 36-4-0 (Figure The star-wheel 30 has six slots so that for each actuation by the roller 31, the wheel is rotated through one-sixth of a revolution.

It will be seen from Figure 3 the the arms 28, 32, are so relatively positioned tl at on the rotation of the driving-shaft 29, there is a phase difference of 200 between the opera tions of the mould-wheel and those of the stock-feeding rollers. In the position of the parts shown in Figures 2 and 3, the roller 31 is in engagement with the star-wheel 30 and the stock-feeding rollers are at the middle of a feeding movement. On further rotation of the driving-shaft 29, the roller 27 comes into operation to rotate the star-wheel 26 and consequently the mould-wheel, and this move ment takes place after the knife 20 has operated and during the partial rotation of the ring 19 to bring the caramel into register with the mould-wheel. With the above arrangement, as already explained, the speed of the machine can be consider: bly increased. An important advantage of the invention is that a relatively longer time can be obtained for the actual pushing of the caramel into the mould-wheel.

I claim:

1. In a wrapping machine of the type described operable on a continuous bar of confectionery stock, the combination of an i utermittently operable wrapping mechanism, a

stock feeding device operable intermittently to feed the leading; end of the bar of stock to a cutting station, means operable at the aforesaid station to sever successive portions the length of the bar to form individual ca mels, means for feeding said caramols to the aforese'd vv sliiping mechanism, and means for operatin the Wrapping; mechanism and the steel; feet levice in such manner that their respect ve ermittent movements are co-related but out o" h each other. 2. In a Wrapp M ,fetCillllB of the type de" scribed. operalille on a continuous bar of confectionery stock, the combination of an intermittently operable Wrappingnech' a stock feeding, device operable in entry to feed the lea ing end of the bar of steel: to a cutting; station, means operable a aforesaid station to sever suec 11s in the length of the bar to form individual caramels, means for feeding said c r-am ls to c mech and means manner that the intermittent mov the former will take place at e midway between consecutive merchants of the stool: feedingdevice.

3. In a Wrapping machine of the type d scribed operable on a continuous bar of confectionery stock, the combination of an intermittently operable Wrappingmechanism, a stock feeding device operable intermittently to feed the leading end of the of stock to a cutting station, means operable at the aforesaid station to sever successive portions in the length of the bar to form individual caramels, means for feeding said caramels to the aforsaid Wrapping; mechani.sn'1,a continuously rotating shaft, operaiii elements arranged on said shaft to operate the Wrapping mechanism and the stock fecd' device, said operating elements being so relatively positioned that between them there a phase displacement in the region of 200.

f. in a Wrapping machine of the type de scribed operabie on a continuous bar of confcctionery stock, the combination of an intermittently operable Wrapping mechanism, a stock feeding device operable intermittently to feed the leading end of the bar of steel: to a cuttinr, station, means operable at the aforesaie station to sever successive portions in the length of the bar to form individual caramels, means for feeding said caramels to the aforesaid Wrapping mechanism, a continuously running shaft, and means for operating: the Wrapping; mechanism and the stock feeding device from said shaft comprising two Geneva stop mechanisms having star Wheels arranged for rotation independently of each. other about the same axis under the influence of driving elements carried by the aforesaid shaft at positions thereon between which there is an angular displacement.

5. In a Wrapping machine of the type described operable on a continuous bar of confectionery stock the combination of an intermittently rotatable mould-Wheel, a reciprocating pusher for feeding caramels one at time into the mouldavheel, mechanism for feeding a bar of stock up to a station offset laterally from the path of the pusher, means for cutting separate caramels from the stock at said station, transfer mechanism to convey the caramels one at a time from the cutting stati on into the path of the pusher, and means for operating the mould Wheel and the stock feeding mechanism to make their respective intermittent movements at times which are out of phase with each other.

6. In a Wrapping machine of the type de scribed operable on a. continuous bar of confectionery steel; the combination of an intermittently rotatable mouldavheel, a reciprocz. inp; pusher for feeding caramels one at a time into the mould-Wheel, mechanism for feeding; a bar of steels: up to station laterally from the path of the pusher, meal :3 for cutting; separate caramcls from the steel at said station, transfer mechanism ey the caramels one at a time from 'ng station into the path of the pusher, a continuously running driving shaft, two Geneva stop mechanisms comprising star wheels rotatable independently of each other about the same axis, one operatively connected to the lllOlllilJVllGQl and the other to the stoclr feeding mechanism, and two Wheeloperating arms mounted on the aforesaid continuously running shaft to eo-operate With the 'tWO Wheels respectively, said operating arms being; spaced apart angularly on the shaft aforesaid.

En testimony whereof if affix my signature.

anunnn sans mu aosn. 

